Half-buried to her flaming breastIn this bright tree, she makes her nest,Hundred-sunned Phoenix! when she mustCrumble at length to hoary dust!

Her gorgeous deathbed! her rich pyreBurnt up with aromatic fire!Her urn, sight high from spoiler men!Her birthplace when self-born again!

The mountainless green wilds among,Here ends she her unechoing song!With amber tears and odorous sighsMourned by the desert where she dies!

II

Laid like the young fawn mossilyIn sun-green vales of Araby,I woke hard by the Phoenix treeThat with shadeless boughs flamed over me;And upward called by a dumb cryWith moonbread orbs of wonder, IBeheld the immortal Bird on highGlassing the great Sun in her eye.Stedfast she gazed upon his fire,Still her destroyer and her sire!As if to his her soul of flameHad flown already, whence it came;Like those that sit and glare so still,Intense with their death struggle, tillWe touch, and curdle at their chill!---But breathing yet while she doth burn,The deathless Daughter of the Sun!Slowly to crimson embers turnThe beauties of the brightsome one.O'er the broad nest her silver wingsShook down their wasteful glitterings;Her brinded neck high arch'd in airLike a small rainbow faded there;But brighter glowed her plumy crownMouldering to golden ashes down;With fume of sweet woods, to the skies,Pure as a Saint's adoring sighs,Warm as a prayer in Paradise,Her life-breath rose in sacrifice!The while with shrill triumphant toneSounding aloud, aloft, aloneCeaseless her joyful deathwail sheSang to departing Araby!Deep melancholy wonder drewTears from my heartspring at that view;Like cresset shedding its last flareUpon some wistful mariner,The Bird, fast blending with the sky,Turned on me her dead-gazing eyeOnce --- and as surge to shallow spraySank down to vapoury dust away!